The Boston Celtics lost 118-112 Wednesday night to the top seed in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Boston's clear goal was to outshoot the Thunder from the three-point line. They broke an NBA record for attempted threes in a half with 36 in the first half and 63 total (via StatMuse).
The three highest-paid players for Boston heavily struggled from distance; Jayson Tatum shot 4-for-13, Jaylen Brown shot 0-for-5, and Jrue Holiday shot 1-for-7. With the Celtics choosing to shoot so many threes, the free-throw discrepancy was alarming. The Thunder shot 35 free throws compared to the Celtics' 12; Boston ranks 29th in the NBA in free throws attempted per game.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla discussed the physicality throughout the game and how he felt the reigning champions were able to deal with it.
"I thought there were a lot of moments where we matched [the physicality], and there was a few where we didn't," said Mazzulla. "I think stuff like that is the difference in the game."
Joe Mazzulla on if his team was ready for Oklahoma City's physicality:
"I thought there were a lot of moments where we matched that, and then there were a few where we didn't. I think stuff like that is the difference in the game." pic.twitter.com/vIrFuuzzVO
— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) March 13, 2025
That physicality was surely on display, however, the referees believed Oklahoma City was doing so legally. Both Brown and Derrick White fouled out of the game, and the Celtics had 25 fouls overall compared to the Thunder's 17.
This win had very little effect as far as the standings are concerned; OKC is 11.5 games ahead of the Denver Nuggets for the top seed, while Boston is 8.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for the top seed in the Eastern Conference and five games ahead of the New York Knicks for second.
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This story was originally published March 12, 2025 at 8:41 PM.